Quaid’s First Wife: Emibai. Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s marriage with Emibai took place in 1892. She was 14 and he was 16. Only Nikkah was solemnized and the rukhsati was to take place later on. Shortly after the marriage, Jinnah left for England. When he returned, his bride had died. She died in 1893. Struck by the tragedy, Jinnah didn’t marry for a long time.

Quaid’s Second Wife: Rattenbai Petit. In 1918, Mohammad Ali Jinnah married Ruttenbai Petit (who converted to Islam and changed her name to Maryam Jinnah), the daughter of a prominent Parsi banker Sir Dinshaw Petit. Maryam give birth to a baby Dina Jinnah. On her 18th birthday, she left her father’s mansion with two pets only to marry Quaid-e-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Exactly eleven years later she was dead of an overdose of painkillers to treat her abdominal cancer. Quaid never married again and died a lonely man. Known as the nightingale of Bombay, Ruttie died on her 29th birthday on 20 February 1929.

Marriage of Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Ruttanbai – An Extract from the Nikah Register. This extract from the Nikah Register is in Persian language which was in vogue at that time. Photo by Doc Kazi.

Ruttie Jinnah’s Last Letter to Her Husband, Mohammad Ali Jinnah.Ruttie Jinnah’s simple but beautiful English makes this letter very moving. Each and every word of this sad but beautiful letter makes the readers cry. It was such an ideal couple and it pains when we learn about the demise of Ruttie at a very young age of 29. This letter was written on 5 Oct 1928 and she died after four and a half months on 20 Feb 1929.

She wrote this letter when she was aboard the SS Rajputana, a British passenger and cargo carrying ocean liner, which sailed on a regular route between England and British India. This ship was requisitioned into the Royal Navy during World War II. It was torpedoed and sunk off Iceland on 13 April 1941, after escorting a convoy across the North Atlantic. Read more about SS Rajputana.

S. S. Rajputana, Marseilles 5 Oct 1928 Darling – thank you for all you have done. If ever in my bearing your once tuned senses found any irritability or unkindness – be assured that in my heart there was place only for a great tenderness and a greater pain – a pain my love without hurt. When one has been as near to the reality of Life (which after all is Death) as I have been dearest, one only remembers the beautiful and tender moments and all the rest becomes a half veiled mist of unrealities. Try and remember me beloved as the flower you plucked and not the flower you tread upon. I have suffered much sweetheart because I have loved much. The measure of my agony has been in accord to the measure of my love. Darling I love you – I love you – and had I loved you just a little less I might have remained with you – only after one has created a very beautiful blossom one does not drag it through the mire. The higher you set your ideal the lower it falls. I have loved you my darling as it is given to few men to be loved. I only beseech you that the tragedy which commenced in love should also end with it. Darling Goodnight & Goodbye Ruttie I had written to you at Paris with the intention of posting the letter here – but I felt that I would rather write to you afresh from the fullness of my heart. R.

Ruttie Jinnah’s Last Letter to Her Husband (Original Letter). This original letter has been preserved with the archives, the Quaid-e-Azam Papers Project, of the Cabinet Division. Photo by Doc Kazi.

Grave of Rattanbai (Ruttie) Jinnah, the Second Wife of Quaid

Quaid’s Father-in-Law, Sir Dinshaw Manockjee Petit. Sir Dinshaw Manockjee Petit, an extremely rich Parsi was a close friend of Jinnah. He used to stay at Dinshaw’s summer home in Darjeeling, a summer resort in the north of India. In 1916, Quaid-e-Azam met Dinshaw’s daughter Rattanbai or Ruttie as she used to be called, who was just 16, and legally a minor. In February 1918 Ruttie turned 18 and was free to marry as per English Law. Nobody from Ruttie’s family attended the marriage.

Quaid with His Mother-in-Law Lady Dinshaw Petit

Quaid’s Brother Ahmed Ali Jinnah with His British Wife Emmy

Photo of Quaid-e-Azam’s Three Sisters. Miss Fatima Jinnah and two of her sisters mourn the death of their brother, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. From left to right are Maryam Bai, Fatima Jinnah and Shireen Bai.

Miss Fatima Jinnah and Ladies Offering Fateha at the Grave of Quaid, September 1948

Quaid With Miss Fatima Jinnah on His Birthday, December 25, 1947

Quaid with Miss Fatima Jinnah, December 25, 1947

Quaid and Miss Fatima Jinnah. Smiling faces of brother and sister.

Quaid with Miss Fatima Jinnah

Quaid Enjoying a Cigar in the Company of Fatima Jinnah

Quaid with Fatima Jinnah (Sister) and Dina Jinnah (Daughter)

Quaid’s Sister Shireen Peerbhoy

Quaid’s Daughter Dina Jinnah (later Dina Wadia) at Old Age. Photo by Mr The Poet. Quaid’s daughter Dina Jinnah was born in London on August 15, 1919 and was raised as a Muslim. Quaid-e-Azam disowned her when she got married to an Indian Parsi Neville Wadia. Dina did not travel to Pakistan until her father’s funeral in Karachi in September 1948. Dina and Neville had two children, a boy and a girl. Dina’s son Nusli Wadia has two sons; Ness Wadia and Jehangir Wadia.

Editor’s Note: If you have liked this web page, then please share it on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media. Please also write your brief comment at the end of this page under the heading “Leave a Reply here”.

Hyper Nasal tone speech is called Jinha or Junho in Sindhi and also written as jinah in Urdu and English
Hypernasal speech or hyperrhinolalia or rhinolalia aperta is inappropriate increased airflow through the nose during speech that is called Jinhah in Sindhi language but it cannot be written and pronunciation in Urdu and English so it is now called as Jinah and his father Ponja was called Jinnah as nick name.

It is funny. Quaid-e-Azam, Father of Pakistan, Mr. Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s daughter preferred to live in India on formation of Pakistan. Father of the Nation of India, Mahathma Gandhi’s son preferred to live in Pakistan.